Next, if you’re looking for a new best friend for someone on your holiday list, Los Angeles Animal Services is offering a special reduced fee “Santa Paws & Claws” pet adoption event on Saturday and Sunday, at all city shelters. If you’re ready to add a four-legged friend to your life, and you’re planning a quiet holiday at home without a lot of company and chaos, then please visit the wonderful adoptable pets. During the event, adoption fees are free for adult cats and dogs (4 months and older), $75 for puppies (under 4 months), and $25 for kittens (under 4 months). There are also rabbits ($71 adoption fee) and other small critters ($17 fee). All of the available pets are vaccinated, spayed or neutered, microchipped and ready to go home. Also, if you’d love to gift an animal, but would like the recipient to be able to pick out his or her own pet to bring home at a quieter time than the hectic holidays, LAAS also offers gift certificates that can be used at any time.

On Saturday afternoon, you can celebrate the holiday and brush up on your French conversation skills at the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave. From 1 to 2:30 p.m. Paris native Samba Magassa, who teaches French conversation at the library twice a month, will guide you “in a gentle, supportive setting that coaxes students to retrieve and improve their high school or college French.” It’s free and open to everyone, regardless of skill level. This week, please bring a holiday treat to share.

If you’re one of those for whom it’s just not Christmas without a classic holiday movie, our local film organizations are serving up their best this weekend.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, just in case you miss the show at the New Bev, the American Cinematheque will also be showing “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

And finally this pre-Christmas weekend, we’ll leave you at an appropriately happy place, the Miracle Mile Toy Hall, 5464 Wilshire Blvd., which will host a special performance of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s Holiday Classics Show at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10, and the performers will share the holiday joy with a meet and greet with the puppets after the show.

Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - first in the Sycamore Square neighborhood, and since 2012 in West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill. She was long-time board member of the Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association, currently serves on the board of the West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association, spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and is the co-owner/publisher of the Buzz.

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